Two 300-hectolitre state-of-the-art Ganimede fermenters were installed at the Delicata winery this week as part of its ongoing drive to improve quality.

...the only fermenter to use a method that allows the scientific management of technical gases- Bill Hermitage

These technically-advanced fermenters are primarily used for red wine production and are the only ones in the world which allow the extraction of grape seeds during the fermentation stage.

It is also the only fermenter to use a method that allows the scientific management of technical gases.

Ganimede is a patented winemaking system that exploits the exceptional natural capacity of fermentation gas (40/50 litres of CO2 per litre of must) to obtain a gentle and effective extraction of the noble substances only.

Once the fermenter has been filled, during the rising of the must, a built-in cavity between the outer casing and the funnel diaphragm remains empty because the air, unable to escape through the closed bypass, prevents the cavity from being filled.

The grape marcs then accumulate on the surface to create the cap.

The carbon dioxide produced by the fermentation process quickly takes the place of the air in the cavity.

As soon as the environment is saturated, the exceeding gas goes out by overflowing and since it is under pressure, it creates large bubbles through the diaphragm neck, resulting in a constant restirring of the grape marcs that will always be saturated with the liquid and well shelled.

Such restirring causes the fall of the grape seeds to the bottom by gravity.

The opening of a bypass on the side of the tank causes a more massive action, releasing an enormous amount of gas accumulated in the cavity directly on to the grape marcs.

These are flooded and deeply re-stirred, resulting in an effective yet smooth breakdown of the cap, preventing mechanical actions that may lead to the forming of lees.

As soon as the gas goes out, the cavity is flooded with the must, causing a sudden lowering of the level. The grape marcs saturated with liquid continue to release noble substances extracted from the skins; thus, repeating the typical stage of static draining délestage, in a controlled environment and without the use of pumps.

As soon as all the gas goes out, the cavity is flooded with the must, causing a sudden lowering of the level.

Once the bypass is closed, the carbon dioxide from the fermentation process re-accumulates in the cavity, causing a new rising of the level, which, by pushing upward the grape marcs collected on the surface, results in a further stage of static draining that continues the leaching process. This allows the grape marcs to release an increasing quantity of substances into the must.

The gas saturates the cavity once again and the whole sequence can be repeated whenever appropriate.

Ganimede is the only fermenter in the world that allows the extraction of grape-seeds during the fermentation stage.

The typical turbulence generated by the Ganimede system leads to a fall by gravity of the grape-seeds, which amass in large quantities at the bottom of the system where they can be easily extracted through a valve located at the bottom of the tank.

Grape-seeds are often a source of bitter and aggressive tannins and, depending on the vintage and vines, they represent a variable to be considered with great care.

In traditional fermenters, the mechanical action and washing out of the wine over the cap, combined with temperature and alcohol action, dissolve the protective cuticle present in the grape-seeds, leading to the passage of the substances they contain right into the wine-must.

The unripe seeds (which in several years may represent a significant amount) may transfer their bitter and aggressive tannin content to the product, resulting in poor quality, rough wines.

Ganimede also enhances the aromas of white and rosé wines.

Dynamic skin maceration, an exclusive prerogative of Metodo Ganimede, allows maceration in an environment perfectly saturated with carbon dioxide and for this reason protected from risks of oxidation and bacterial proliferation.